Ben Smith (American, 1941-2021), Collection of Thirteen Drawings

Mixed media on paper including three works signed and dated 2019, one inscribed "early medicine was to the same good End; DRug companys not so much / It could well be That things were known, we Have forgotten," another inscribed "Miss Ampico" at top left and "Anna Maglena Atomiton" to verso; two works are signed and dated 2016, one inscribed "welcome to the price is paid" and the second inscribed "What!! More Oat Meal;" one signed and dated 2016, inscribed "Sanco (sic) Panza Riding a Turtle on Top of AN English Hedg Row (sic);" one signed and inscribed "We Are Against Everything!!" to lower left and "funtimently" to verso; and six are unsigned, various inscriptions including "Dark Money," "Time Toss / Global Warming," and "Air Pollution in Mr. Rogers Naberhood (sic)." All are unframed, two are double-sided.

Each sheet approximate 12 x 9 3/4 in.

Ben Smith was an artist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is best known for his monumental woodblock prints depicting shamans, wizards, and ceremonial figures. These works, sometimes spanning up to 15 feet, are characterized by bold black forms set against white backgrounds, accented with occasional bursts of vivid color. Intricate passages of detail interrupt long, sweeping lines that coil and uncoil in rhythmic, undulating spirals.

His work is held in the collections of the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; the Morris Museum, New Orleans, LA; the University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; and Brown University, Providence, RI.

A prolific artist, Smith also dedicated himself to teaching, serving as a figure drawing and painting instructor at the Chastain Arts Center beginning in the mid-1990s.

Several with coffee stains; several with minor edge tears and nicks; one with loss to top right corner of sheet; several with small creased corners. In fair condition, as found.

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